So soldering...(Health Hazards?) [Archive]

MonoTekETeA

10-21-2007, 10:02 AM

Well I've been doing it for a few months now, but am starting to get pretty worn out. What I mean is health wise, I think breathing in these fumes is doing something to my throat. I was wondering if if anyone has experience with trying to cover your mouth? Should I just get those little white carpenter masks, is there something that works better? I have been using my shirt tucked over my mouth and nose, and that just doesn't seem to cut it.

Let me know ^^;

-Jeremy Speer

Bratwurst

10-21-2007, 10:23 AM

Uhhhh.. you know some solder has lead in it. Do you know what kind you have? Either way it really is inadvisable to breathe the fumes, even under a paper mask. I pace my breath so I can hold it while using an iron, breathing out when I'm done so I don't draw in any of the smoke. You should probably get a fume filter, there are commercial brands available under hobby & electronic supply venues. Little fans that sit on your desk and suck the fumes up.

Starwander

10-21-2007, 01:21 PM

I second Brawtwurst warning, soldering contains lead and is downright bad for you health wise. Using it sparingly is okay without protection, but if you are going to use it on a regular basis you need a respirator. Go over to home depot and buy a gas filter for $29.99 and you will be read to go. Here are the symptoms of lead poisoning from WebMD.

Stomachaches, cramping, constipation, or diarrhea
Nausea, vomiting
Persistent, unexplained fatigue
Headache
Muscle weakness
Higher rates of tooth decay

shadowkn55

10-21-2007, 02:02 PM

The solder fumes are actually burning flux. Soldering irons don't get hot enough to vaporize lead (boiling temp 1740 C) so you don't have to worry about lead poisoning. The fumes won't hurt you but its probably wise to err on the side on caution.

InsaneDavid

10-21-2007, 02:28 PM

Come on boy, inhale those fumes through your nose and exhale them through your mouth - now you've earned your modder street cred! LOL

Bratwurst

10-21-2007, 03:08 PM

SkiDragon

10-21-2007, 05:23 PM

I usually try to use a fan of some sort, and/or hold my breath, and/or use a cheap mask, but usually not the last one.

shadowkn55

10-21-2007, 05:45 PM

http://www.sentryair.com/solder%20fume.htm

I stand corrected. I guess that explains the headaches after soldering for a few hours.

InsaneDavid

10-21-2007, 06:22 PM

What it really comes down to is something you should have to begin with - good ventilation in your work area. This goes for any type of work you may be doing. You don't need fans, air cleaners, resperators (unless spray painting or doing something that specifically requires it such as grinding ABS plastic), and the like. If you have good ventilation and decent air flow in your work area (which you should) you'll be fine. I have a window at the exact height of my workbench directly across from me (it's on the other side of the bench) and a screen door on my shop. Additionally I set a small cheap fan on the bench in front of the window to draw in clean air when necessary such as when I'm doing a lot of cleaning. The fumes off most household cleaners, rubbing alcohol and so forth are what will really knock you out.

MonoTekETeA

10-22-2007, 12:17 PM

Lol, wonderful, I will look into a lot of things then to keep me from killing my self. Now I feel just as bad as some one who ate paint chips. LOL

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions
-Jeremy Speer

DogP

10-23-2007, 01:22 PM

MonoTekETeA

11-05-2007, 11:14 PM

http://www.sentryair.com/solder%20fume.htm

Alright, so I am willing to throw money into a fan with filter, are those guys top of the line, where should I be looking for decent one?

-Jeremy Speer

jb143

11-07-2007, 03:36 PM

We have fans at work but no one uses them. They're really loud and annoying. The lead in the solder shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't eat it(keep it away from kids) and be sure to wash your hands before eating anything. The warning on solder usually says that it's known to cause cancer in California so you might want to move if thats where you live. :roll: The main thing, as others have said, is that you do your soldering in a well ventilated area and don't breath the fumes.

thegardentool

11-19-2007, 03:33 AM

Almost all, if not all, solder should be lead free in the United States now. If you are using old stuff then it could be lead you are inhaling but new stuff shouldn't have any.

MonoTekETeA

11-19-2007, 04:04 PM

Still my throat gets very agitated by elements such as the fumes and now a days dust, this is after that month straight of soldering. So I donno, but I need to rock something up to clear the air out.

jb143

11-20-2007, 10:52 AM

Almost all, if not all, solder should be lead free in the United States now. If you are using old stuff then it could be lead you are inhaling but new stuff shouldn't have any.

This isn't quite true (yet). While it is true that the industrial side is sloooowly making the switch to lead free it is still widly available. Expecially in the hobby market. This is what Radio Shack sells right now "Standard 60%-tin/40%-lead".

But...as someone else pointed out. A soldering iron won't evaporate lead so you don't have to worry about breathing "lead fumes". The fumes are the solder flux, which is added to "eat" the corrosion off the metal so it will take the solder. This could cause long term health problems if you breath it alot, especially if you already have a breathing problem like ashtma. Keep your work area well ventilated and use a fan if it's really bad. Even just a regular fan blowing away from you will do.

Something else that comes to mind. What kind of solder are you using? Make sure it's even meant for electronics. Acid flux solders shouldn't be used. You also might want to stay away from really heavy rosin core solders.

SkiDragon

11-20-2007, 09:06 PM

I don't know about lead in solder, but in general, things don't necessarily have to be evaporated to be vaporized.

Bratwurst

11-20-2007, 10:08 PM

But...as someone else pointed out. A soldering iron won't evaporate lead so you don't have to worry about breathing "lead fumes".

It's really not cut and dry like that.

MonoTekETeA

11-21-2007, 12:03 AM

I don't know about lead in solder, but in general, things don't necessarily have to be evaporated to be vaporized.

Plastic is a good example, you watch that burn and all around you are minute pieces of airborne plastic.

jb143

11-21-2007, 10:27 AM

It is true that fine particles of lead will fly off when soldering and could be inhaled but the fumes themselfs are not lead fumes. It's flux fumes. unless someone is intentionally breathing the fumes you probally get more lead from not washing your hands and eating something. The point is that you don't want to be breathing this so make sure your using ventalation. My other point is that some solders are more iritating than others so it's possible you could have one of those.

MonoTekETeA

11-21-2007, 12:12 PM

Sorry, give me a day or two, and I will post what kind I am currently using, it is a very fine strand coiled in a tube. I purchased it from Radio Shack (friggin gamestop of electronics)

ProgrammingAce

11-22-2007, 12:50 AM

you could always just use electronics grade silver solder... i'm not even sure there's a difference in price.

77punk

12-05-2007, 04:54 PM

just inhaile unlike clinton!

ROTS MKII

12-07-2007, 04:35 PM

Just make sure your not close to iron when doing so and there should be some kind of guard .

Robotron777

12-09-2007, 10:43 AM

I just use a small fan blowing crosswise to move the vapors away from me. If it bothers you too much, do your soldering in a larger room or with the door or windows partway open.

aaron7

12-18-2007, 11:49 AM

Isn't solder lead-free now anyways? All mine is at least.

jb143

12-19-2007, 02:02 PM

Isn't solder lead-free now anyways? All mine is at least.

Part of my job now is to help the company make a transition from leaded electronics components to lead free. This is a very slow transition and solder is probally one of the last things that will change.

Do you live in Europe by any chance? They're a bit more up to speed with with the transition.

Cantaloup

12-19-2007, 04:56 PM

Found this video at YouTube. You guys might find it interesting.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

phreak97

12-24-2007, 09:17 AM

usually the type of flux isnt actually printed anywhere. for modding work you should be using 60/40 tin/lead solder, (i didnt read if thats what you have) as lead free solder doesnt mix with lead solder, and will turn your mods bad. pretty much just get decent quaity stuff, it should be 5 core pine rosin if its good. i've been working with soldering irons alot for years and i have no problems with the fumes, the solder i have now just smells like burning pine sap, because holy crap thats what it is. lol. on the other hand i've used solder which made me feel like i was going to die at the first whiff.
and yeah, as said earlier, youll get more lead off your hands than from the fumes, but there are definately little desk fans with a filter in them if youll feel safer, also even harmless smells can ive you a headache (not sayin these fumes are completely harmless, i dont know for sure, but im pretty confident that a week worth of cigarettes would be like ten years worth of solder fumes.. just to put it into perspective.), so if you get any symptoms like that you should go get one of those fume extractor fans and save the bother..

you might notice i didnt read the last few posts, i might be repeating everyone.. but hopefully im just reinforcing them.

mqt129

09-09-2009, 01:09 PM

Alright, so I am willing to throw money into a fan with filter, are those guys top of the line, where should I be looking for decent one?

-Jeremy Speer

Jeremy, I have done a quick research and it seems most of the ventilation hood and/or air cleaner out there are quite big and expensive. And then I came across this one company, LURACO, they have a bench smoke that is about the size of your serial box and it works fine. It doesn't make that much noise either. Try visiting their website www.luraco.com (under R&D tab). If I may ask, for which company are you working for?

Compute

09-10-2009, 04:53 PM

Make sure your area is WELL-ventilated. In my factory we have high air flow but still have small fans at each solder station. Flux fumes don't irritate everybody, but small fans are pretty cheap. If you feel handy, just gang together a few old pc fans with a small filter in front so the blades don't get coated in flux.

SnowKitty

09-17-2009, 08:21 AM

megasdkirby

09-17-2009, 10:08 AM

Found this video at YouTube. You guys might find it interesting.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

Hey, thanks for that vid!

Learned quite a few things there! Thanks man!

phreak97

09-25-2009, 09:10 AM

I typically just hold my breath while the soldering fumes are blowing past me, and turn my head to breathe fresh(er) air. I do have a fume fan with a filter, but it's not very convenient, and I only use it when I'm doing a lot of soldering. For soldering just a few minutes at a time while fixing stuff, holding my breath works fine.

DogP

you'll get worse fumes burning pine in an open fireplace, it's the same stuff in higher quantities afterall, assuming you didnt get really cheap solder with something other than pine resin in it..
do you stick your head out the window to breath if youre in a house with an open fire?

lol I was about to write that i agree with whoever wrote about different types of flux, but when I looked for the poster's name it turned out it was me in '07.. I read that whole post and didnt even realize I was the author. Reading it I even had a laugh at how well I could relate to it!